KUALA LUMPUR: The King and Queen of Malaysia, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim and Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah have extended their congratulations to Prabowo Subianto on his swearing-in today as Indonesia’s eighth President.
The congratulatory message was shared through a special poster featuring a photograph of Sultan Ibrahim and Prabowo shaking hands, which was posted on Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar’s Facebook page.
Prabowo, 73, took his oath of office for the 2024-2029 term at the Indonesian Parliament, in a ceremony attended by foreign leaders and special representatives, including Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The swearing-in ceremony, held in the presence of members of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), was also attended by national figures, political party leaders and diplomatic representatives.
Prabowo assumes the role of president in the world’s third-largest democracy by population, following his success in the Presidential Election held on Feb 14, in which he garnered 59 per cent of the vote.
Alongside Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 37, Prabowo defeated challengers Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo, who received about 25 per cent and 16 per cent of the votes, respectively.
Prabowo, a former general and Minister of Defence, becomes the third president with a military background, after President Soeharto and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
He also makes history as Indonesia’s oldest president at the time of taking office, surpassing the third President BJ Habibie, who was inaugurated at the age of 61.
